Year-Round Tropical Maven Gitano Jungle Room Opens At The James Hotel New York In SoHo

Escape the New York winter blues with The James New York Hotel’s latest addition, Gitano Jungle Room. The year-round tropical restaurant and bar is a real destination in the SoHo neighborhood, which is a reimagined version of Grupo Gitano’s Jungle Room in Tulum, with colonial-inspired architecture from the Yucatan Peninsula. The cuisine on offer is modern Mexican and Mayan, with a menu developed by Michelin-starred, Consulting Chef Mads Refslund with Head Chef Yvan Lemoine.

Design

Located on an underground floor at The James New York – SoHo, the space also houses the Jungle Bar & Terraces on the floor above, occupying 12,000 square feet in total. A 10-foot lighted crystal palm tree greets guests at the entrance of the main dining room, as does a retro sparkly disco ball that hangs from inside of the 20-foot skylight, which connects the Jungle Room and the Jungle Bar in the upstairs floor. The room uses a distinct palette of pale pink with rich green, from the Gitano pink plaster and the lush tropical plants. It also has rustic wood; ancient Mexican architectural features and textiles; vintage brass chandeliers; black velvet banquettes; Indian-inspired cushions in gold and pink hues and wooden dining tables. The upstairs Jungle Bar has a similar bohemian-meets-rustic aesthetic, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out into the bustling streets of SoHo, as well as a view of the downstairs restaurant bar.

Food

Rest assured, the food at the restaurant is just as impressive as the space itself, developed by Mads Refslund—Gitano Grupo Consulting Chef at Large; co-founder of Noma; and former Executive Chef of ACME—and Yvan Lemoine—Executive Chef; restaurant partner; and former executive chef of Bodega Negra. The full Mexican and Mayan-inspired menu is available in the main dining room, while a menu of signature cocktails and light bites is available at the upstairs lounge. The menu has five sub-categories—Snacks, Small Plates, Large Plates, Sides and Desserts—and all dishes are intended to be shared.

Beverages

The cocktail menu was created by Jeremy Strawn—an owner in Mulbery Projects and formerly affiliated with Death & Co, Merchants Hospitality and The Standard Hotel. Of course, the beverage program is tropically-focused, with an emphasis on Mexican spirits and seasonal ingredients, such as rosé tequila, horchata, turmeric, Mezcal, passion fruit, ancho chiles, coconut milk and black lava salt. Wines and beers are also on offer.

The private entrance for the restaurant is located at 23 Grand Street at the corner of Avenue of the Americas in SoHo. The restaurant and bar are open daily for cocktails from 5 p.m. and for dinner from 6 p.m., closing at midnight from Sunday – Wednesday, and until 1 a.m. from Thursday – Saturday. For more information, please visit the restaurant’s website.